Watch: Sir Ken Robinson shares five reasons you should take your class outside

'We learn much more from the world around us then we necessarily do sitting at desks,' the education guru says

It’s one of the hottest days of the year and the last week of term – and which teacher doesn’t want to fling open the doors and take their class on to the field, the playground or even just to sit in the courtyard?

Now, education guru Sir Ken Robinson has shared his thoughts on why learning outside is a good idea, leading to many benefits for learning, in this exclusive video for TES.

"What really drives education is curiosity, trying to fill gaps in our understanding," Sir Ken says, author of Finding Your Element and other books on creativity in education. "And the world around us is a tremendous resource to stimulate that curiosity."

He lists five reasons why taking learning outdoors is a good idea:

Nature is a powerful resource.

Children can learn through practical hands-on activities.

You can tap into children's curiosity.

It is a social experience and children learn from working together.

Learning outdoors is fun.

"Education takes up a great deal of children's time," Sir Ken adds. "This is their childhood, the only one they get and learning outdoors, working together, playing together is fun. It's about the quality of our lives and experiences."

Sir Ken Robinson supports Empty Classroom Day, an initiative to inspire learning and play outside the classroom, backed by Persil’s Dirt is Good campaign.